From the Shetland Islands in the north to the Isle of Scilly in the south and from the North Sea in the east to the Irish Sea and the North Atlantic in the west, Great Britain spans an area of more than 80,000 square miles, with a temperate climate and a host of regional cultures.That means a host of regional cuisines, including dishes so obscure that even most Londoners will not have heard of them. Some British specialties (haggis, anyone?) frankly bewilder Americans, but many others — whether regional or universal — speak our language at the table.

Potatoes, eggs, sausage, melted cheese — these are foods we all love, and the British way of enjoying them, while it's sometimes a little different than ours would be on this side of the Atlantic (we eat mashed potatoes and we eat Brussels sprouts, but we don't generally combine them), can be downright irresistible. Here are ten typical British foods that Americans love.

This pub favorite consists of mashed potatoes, sausages, gravy, and onions — what's not to like? The term bangers comes from the fact that some English sausages (especially the cheaper ones) split open with a pop as they're fried.

Bubble and Squeak

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Bubble and squeak is a popular dish made from leftovers.

Bubble and squeak sounds like something the lovably odd headmaster in the Harry Potter fantasy series would say, but it’s actually a popular English dish made with the fried vegetable leftovers from a roast dinner. The recipe principally includes potatoes and Brussels sprouts, but any other leftover vegetable can also be included.